Puff Pastry Potato Roses

Puff Pastry Potato Roses. Just the name makes me smile. Especially in the winter, a dish that looks like a blooming flower is a welcome addition to any dinner party.

Months ago, I saw apple roses and instantly fell in love with the concept. Turning a fruit into edible petals – what a great idea! But like many other internet phenomena, it crossed my path and then faded from memory.

Then, when our December Progressive Eats host, Jane, announced that the theme for this month is a New Year’s Eve Extravaganza, somehow the edible roses “thing” started percolating. Before I knew it, I’d volunteered to make Puff Pastry Potato Roses. Don’t ask me why or how I jumped from apples to potatoes. I think it was Chanukah (starting next Saturday) that brought potato latkes to mind. Then, somehow, I went from peasant food (fried, grated potatoes) to delicate wisps of baked potatoes nestled in puff pastry shell.

Puff Pastry Potato Roses look elegant, but they aren’t hard to make. Believe me. I’m hopeless with a pastry bag and I couldn’t make a fondant rose if my life depended on it. But these little treasures don’t take creativity or artistic talent. All you need is a bit of patience and a spirit of adventure.

Tips for Making Puff Pastry Potato Roses

Using puff pastry dough – After you defrost the dough, make sure it doesn’t get too warm or dry. If it takes you a while to make the first rose (learning curve – it gets faster once you get the hang of it), cover the rest of the dough and refrigerate it. The dough is quite forgiving, so don’t worry if it doesn’t stay in perfectly symmetrical ribbon shape as you roll it out and cut it.

The potato slices – The key is to make them as thin as you can. A mandoline works best, but I did these with a sharp knife. Aim for paper thin.

Flavoring – The roses need some flavoring besides the potato and the butter/olive oil. I love rosemary and thyme with potatoes, but you could use other herbs or even pesto. The grated cheese makes the dish more substantial – any hard cheese will work.

Putting them together – Mise en place (getting everything organized) before you start to roll out the pastry dough is crucial. Although making 12 roses may seem daunting, it goes relatively quickly if you work in assembly-line fashion.

Either microwave the potato slices (covered in a microwave safe bowl) or boil them until they are pliable (slightly bendable), but not fully cooked. Once they are done cooking, put them in a bowl of cool water until needed.

The puff pastry sheet starts out about 9 1/2 -inches square. Roll it out to a rectangle about 10-inches wide by 14-inches long. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips, each slightly less than 2-inches wide.

Pull one strip of dough off of the rectangle. Roll it a bit more, so that it is about 2 1/2-inches wide. Brush the strip with the oil/butter. Sprinkle herbs, cheese, salt, and pepper along the top half of the strip.

Add potato slices, alternating Yukon gold and sweet potatoes, and leaving about 1-inch at the beginning and end of the strip.

Fold the bottom half of the pastry strip up to the middle of the potato slices and dab a bit of oil/butter at each end of the strip. Roll the strip gently but firmly, taking care not to pull it too tight.

When the rose is completely rolled, place it in the first muffin cup and repeat with the next 11 strips of dough and the rest of the potato slices.

Bake the roses for about 45 minutes, until the edges of the potato slices peeking out are browning and the pastry shell is golden. If the potato slices darken before the pastry shell is cooked, gently put a piece of aluminum foil over the roses and let them continue to bake. Once done, let them sit in pan for a few minutes before lifting them out.

Recipe Notes

How long it takes to microwave or boil the potato slices depends on a number of factors. Do not overcrowd the bowl or pot used to microwave or boil them in. In general, sweet potato slices take longer than Yukon golds so you might want to cook them separately.

It's easiest to cut the dough into strips with a pizza cutter. If you don't have one, use a sharp knife, with a ruler if you are concerned that you can't easily cut a straight line.

Although they are best eaten warm, you can reheat the roses at 375 degrees F in a regular or toaster oven.

Welcome to another edition of Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a progressive dinner party where each course is held at a different home. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. This month’s theme is a New Year’s Eve Extravaganza hosted by Jane of The Heritage Cook. Enjoy these jaw-dropping recipes, ideal for any special occasion and the perfect way to ring in the New Year!

Side Dishes

Desserts

We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we are always looking for substitutes. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb directly for more information.

Laura, Just wanted you to know that I tried the potato roses, and they were a great success. I will admit, however, I tweaked your recipe a bit. I used only Yukon gold potatoes, and I added caramelized onions (an idea inspired by Julia Child’s scalloped potatoes). My other comment is that one shouldn’t be sparing on the rosemary or the parmesan cheese. All in all, a great recipe and a fabulous idea; potato roses are now a permanent addition to my repertoire. Many thanks, Happy New Year, and again, Happy Birthday! Lafe